Perhaps he had seen her before. He seemed to have a faint impression of her, but he definitely had no memory of ever speaking with her, let alone having any kind of close relationship.
Shiro's expression darkened slightly. Sure enough, this was probably the League's doing. Was she an agent sent by Chairman Goodshow to keep an eye on him... or perhaps she was here to discuss business?
He said, "Miss Jenny, I don't remember you. You can just tell me why you came to see me, and the same goes for this Miss Joy."
Officer Jenny's face quickly turned red before becoming pale again. She was just about to speak when Nurse Joy came running over from behind and stopped in front of Shiro.
"Professor Shiro, I am Nora Joy. On behalf of the Joy family, I would like to offer you our greetings."
Nurse Joy only reached Shiro's chest. After lifting her skirt and giving a small curtsy, all he could see was the top of her head. She quickly raised her face and spoke in a low voice, "This is the Joy family's sincerity... Could you give me your autograph?"
She took out a photograph, but the person in it was not Shiro. Instead, it showed Nurse Joy wearing a Pokémon nurse uniform and standing beside a Chansey.
She turned the photograph over and handed it to him.
Shiro remained silent. As the seconds passed, the atmosphere grew heavier.
"Who sent you here?" he asked.
"I am a member of the Joy family." Nurse Joy raised her head and met his eyes without fear.
Officer Jenny had also recovered by now. She quickly stepped forward and said, "I am Clara Jenny. On behalf of the Jenny family, I congratulate you on becoming the new Professor."
At that moment, Soyln, who had been sitting upright on the sofa, also sensed that something was wrong. She immediately stood up and tried to use cleaning up the drinks and glasses as an excuse to leave.
Shiro gave the two girls a very faint smile. "Ladies, would you like to come with me to see the orchard in Littleroot Town?"
Joy and Jenny answered at the same time, "Of course!"
After thanking and saying goodbye to Soyln, the three of them quickly left Birch's house.
* * *
Only after watching them disappear did Birch slowly come down the stairs. He sat on the sofa to rest, his face filled with worry.
Birch knew very well why the two families from Kanto had rushed over. They were both trying to win Shiro over, this young new Professor who would soon hold enormous influence and considerable authority in Hoenn.
Alden's qualifications, strength and academic degree were all far from enough to convince everyone. The position of Hoenn's representative researcher and chief Professor could only fall to Shiro.
Moreover, once Shiro's research institute was completed, the title of regional representative Professor could remain with him for at least several decades.
Birch couldn't help sighing. "Sigh, Chairman Goodshow of Kanto is far too controlling. Kanto still has so many problems to deal with... Forget about the Pokémon Centers in Hoenn. He's even forcing the police departments on us..."
"Officer Jenny is far stronger than the ordinary police officers we had before!" Soyln placed her glass heavily on the coffee table in front of her husband. "Forget about Oldale Town. Even the crime rate in Petalburg City has dropped by quite a lot. All those repeat offenders have been arrested."
Birch opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he chose not to continue.
The Pokémon Center represented medical authority. Because League trainers received discounts and even free treatment, every League trainer, including unofficial trainers, would go to Pokémon Centers for medical care.
The League's medical services were both highly capable and trustworthy. They would not tamper with Pokémon or secretly take them away. This single institution therefore held the lifeline of most League trainers.
When Chairman Goodshow pushed the Kanto Joy family into the spotlight and began promoting the establishment of Pokémon Centers across the different regions, many people had stood up in opposition.
This was clearly a right belonging to each region.
And why did it have to be the Joy family from Kanto?
Goodshow used his usual decisive methods to silence the opposition. The Joy family's excellent healing Pokémon and friendly service soon won over most League trainers.
In the past, the quality of Pokémon Center medical services had varied from city to city because of differences in development. Now, the services had become standardized.
With everyone supporting them, no one dared to openly speak against it.
As for the Jenny family, they had only recently been forced into the police departments of cities across the various regions through orders from Goodshow and the main League. Their development was much the same as that of the Joy family and the Pokémon Centers. Thanks to the Jenny family's outstanding abilities, they quickly replaced almost all local police forces and won the support of the people.
Many Gym Leaders were not good at managing cities at all. They only knew how to train Pokémon and rarely realized that their authority was being divided up. Some were even happy to have someone else help enforce the law and maintain public safety.
The ones who were angry were the major businessmen connected to the League's upper ranks. Some of their illegal products could no longer be transported openly through the cities.
Joy, Jenny...
Many people, including many high-ranking officials from different regions, were furious.
They were seizing control of the various regions. They were openly taking away Hoenn's authority!
And this time, they had come for the authority of the Pokémon Research Institute!
Birch had been careless with the institute's management, leaving many responsibilities that should have belonged to the research institute unattended.
The research institute was supposed to provide Pokémon to new trainers. It also held the authority to supervise and transfer Pokémon from all breeding facilities throughout Hoenn. Some new trainers from cities far away from the institute could not travel to its location, so they could go to nearby League organizations, such as Pokémon Centers, to receive their Pokémon.
The Pokémon Centers' authority to distribute Pokémon actually came from the research institute.
In addition, because of the League's equality policy, private individuals and organizations were technically not allowed to conduct Pokémon research. However, some companies would conduct research under the name of the research institute or claim to be "cooperating" with it, with the results ultimately registered under the institute's name.
The rights to use certain research patents naturally had to be discussed with the research institute as well.
If the research institute wanted to strengthen its control over these areas, it could completely rely on its control over the various Pokémon breeding facilities and its connections with major companies to become a force comparable to the regional League headquarters.
That was another reason why the research institute needed so many people.
Of course, Birch would never admit that Oak had any problems. Likewise, Shiro did not believe that Rowan had been able to remain established in Hoenn for so many years without ever illegally cooperating with anyone.
In the end, none of that had much to do with Birch.
Sitting at home, he silently sipped his coffee. The bitter taste of the drink spread through his mouth, but he could only swallow it.
A region's Champion and Professor represented the face of that region. The greater their reputation, the more famous the region became.
Unfortunately, none of that had much to do with him anymore.
At the kitchen door, Soyln crossed her arms and let out a slightly resentful sigh. She then walked over and grabbed Sapphire, who was trying to sneak out.
"Sapphire! Couldn't you tell me before leaving?"
Sapphire struggled a couple of times while hanging in the air, then could only pout and click her tongue.
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